FORD V8 PILOT

At Edgware Motor Rubber & Trim we supply and ship worldwide, seals, mouldings, carpets and many other items to classic car and caravan restorers and self builders as well as to the contemporary car, marine and engineering industries and many others.

One of the cars I have always had a soft spot for is the Ford V8 Pilot. I remember seeing one close to where I lived in North London when I was a young boy back in the 60s (many years after production was ceased) and this helped ignite my interest and passion for cars. The large wings, big chrome headlights and running boards were so different to anything else I’d seen on the road before, and a real contrast to most other cars around at that time.

The Pilot was introduced in 1947 to help Ford get back on its feet after the war. Many old components were used to help keep costs down and it was considered by many to be old fashioned at its launch. It initially had a 2.2 litre V8 engine but this was considered underpowered and was quickly replaced by a more powerful 3.6 litre V8 which produced 85 bhp with 0-60 being achieved in 21 seconds. Top speed was 80mph and was thirsty in producing only 18 mpg.

There was a 4 door saloon and an estate version as well as a pickup though this was mainly for export. The price at launch for the saloon version was £535.00 which included a leather interior as standard with a hydraulic jacking system available as an optional extra. There were just over 22,000 Pilots built until production finished in 1951 and it was replaced by the Ford Zephyr.

Many police forces used the Pilot as pursuit cars due to its high powered V8 and general solidity. Interestingly, in 1951 a coachbuilt ‘shooting brake’ version was presented to King George VI, with a floor mounted gear shift which he preferred to the column gear change of the standard car. However this didn’t receive much use as he passed away the following year. According to one website there are around 20 Pilots registered for use in the UK today

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